Process and apparatus for making tooth-backings.



E N. RICH & w.- E. GEOFF.

PBOCESS'AND-APPARATUS FOR MAKING IOOTH BACK INGS APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18 1916- 1,257,12Q. Patented Feb.19,1918.

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EDWIN N. RICH AND WILLIAM E. GROFF,

ASSIGNOR TO OF SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO; SAID RICH SAID GROFF.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING TOOTH-BACKINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

Application filed August 18, 1916. Serial No. 115,628.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN N. RICH and Dr. WILLIAM E. Gnorr, citizens of the United States, residing at Santa Fe, in the county of Santa Fe, State of New Mexico, have invented a new and useful Process and Apparatus for Making Tooth-Backmgs; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same- The present invention relates to a device for making one-piece artificial tooth backings on which can be mounted the wellknown Steele facings for dental uses, the invention embodying novel features whereby the backings can be formed from an ordinary piece of sheet gold, such as dentists usually carry in stock, and which avoids the necessity for filing, grinding, and fitting in order to produce backings which will properly engage the undercut grooves of the Steele facings.

Further objects of the invention are to provide an apparatus for producing these artificial tooth backings which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which enables a one-piece solid gold backing to be quickly and accurately made, which avoids the loss of gold in filing and fitting, and which eliminates the necessity of all tedious hand finishing.

Nith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a novel process and in an apparatus embodying certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure l is an end view of a vise for forming artificial tooth backings constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the removable jaws of the vise, said jaws being shown as separated or moved apart.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ends of the, jaw members which are provided with the cutting edges, said jaw members being shown as detached from the device.

Fig. A is an end view of the jaws, showing the clipping or shearing edges.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View through the opposed jaws, an artificial tooth backing being indicated in position between the jaws by dotted lines.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the working face of one of the jaws.

Figs. 7 8, 9, 10 and 11 are detail views illustrating the successive steps in forming a one piece backing plate from a flat plate of sheet metal.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In carrying out the invention a pair of specially formed jaws A and B are mounted in such a manner that they can be forcibly moved toward and away from each other, being shown in the present instance as arranged upon the opposed members of a conventional vise C. The fixed member 1 of the vise is rigid with a base 2 which is constructed to be clamped upon the edge of a table or like support by a clamping screw 3. The movable member 4 is arranged to be manipulated by the usual handle 5, and is formed with a lateral arm 6 which passes slidably through a guide opening in the fixed member 1, being engaged by a screw or pin 7 which operates within a slot 8 in the member 1 and cooperates with the ends of the said slots to limit the back and forth movement of the jaws A and B.

The special jaws A and B may be mounted upon the members of the vise in any suitable manner, although in the present instance they are shown as detachably secured thereto by means of the dove-tail joints 9. The upper edge of the jaw B is rabbeted to provide a ledge 10 which is parallel to the upper face of the jaw and at a fixed depth below the same, and the jaw A is formed with an extension 11 which extends over the ledge 10 and is slidable thereon. Corresponding die faces 12 are provided at the end of the extension 11 and upon the vertical portion of the rabbeted edge of the jaw B, the lower portions of the die faces faces are thus held accurately in a proper to each other at alltimes,

working "relation 7 and theoperat-ion of the ping? Within .the

slot 8 limits jaws A and-B, as dotted lines, zhammer :or similar shape them in. the

the separation of the jaws A and .Bsoithat the extension 110f .the A is {never moved entirely away from the :ledgelt). r

' The first step in the formation of the tooth backing .is' to take a fiat plate"15 of sheet em; such as :is shown by Fig. 7, and to (double it around a wire .16, after which the doubled enclwof the gold plate, with the wire in position therein, -is inserted between the opposed die faces 12, '12 of the, jaws A and :B and. the said jaws forced together by 'rma nipulatiingg the handle .5. This forces the zdoublediend of .thegoldplate tightly around the wire 16 in such a manner as toprovide :aweb -17 a-ndanenlarged rib 18 :at the-edge thereof. The projecting ends :of the gold 'plate 15 are'next separated and bent downwardly against-the fiat upper faces .of the indicated on Fig. .5 by and lightly tapped with a instrument to accurately desired manner.

The next step in the formation of the backings-is to .withdraw the wire 16 .and fill the hollow .rib 18 with a suitable substance .such as gold solder :19, thereby producing a solid metal rib and securely fastening-together the two portions of the web 17..

tooth backing is to shear .or :clip .one end 'with; the top of the jaws, and the vertical shearing edges 21 of the :rib 1-8 and web 17, the web being removed for wrib so that th which extend downwardly from the rear ends of the horizontal shearingaedge's 120. Immediatelyto the rear of 17 of the tooth punch being received within'the correspond- =ait the end thereof :the vertical shearing edges 21 the .jaw A ;.is provided with a laterallydisposed punch.

522 which has-the same depthasthe web backing, the end of the ingly shapedchannel 23 in the-j aw ,B., After the tooth backing has been :shaped, as shown by Fig. 9, itflis placed between the jaws provided with the shearing edges, the end of the plate 15 being arranged flush or even with the ends of the are forced together. placed between the said .jaws beingthen tion of the web and rib enables -of the rib18- eliminates the plate 15 is then held firmly in position by applying the pressure of a finger thereto, while the jaws are forced together by manipulating the handle 5. The horizontal shearing. edgesr-QO then clip. the 'end-p'ortionof the web 17 close to the back of the plate 15, while the vertical shearing edgesQl clip the endpor'tion of the web 17 and rib 18 transversely, the severed portion o'f the gold dropping into a suitable receptacle which may be provided for the gold particles. At the jaws. The said collection of these same time, the punch .22 removes a, further portion "of: the web-17, so that the end of the bit18 .pro'jects beyond the end of the web 17. The tooth backing then-has the form shown by .FigQlO.

The shearing operation frequently leaves the severe'dend'of the web and rib with ragged edges, and :in order to remove these ragged edges, as well as to swage'or taper the proeotinqend of the rib '18, so that it will I slip easily :into the undercut groove of the well known Steele tooth facing, the opposite ends ofthe'jaws A and B are provided with properly shaped continuations of the V althoughthe grooved portion provided for the reception of the rib 18 is contracted in the :die faces 24, asindicated at 24 thereby providing aiconstruction 'xvhich will swage .andfitaper the-projecting die faces 24 for per iforming the final step in-the operation, These die faces 24 are .die faces 12,

end ofgthe rib 18 when'the jawsA and B The tooth backing is jaws with the edge thereof flush with the forced together by manipulating the handle 5. The toothback ing then emerges ,in its final form, which is shown .by 'Fig. 11.. The third step in forming the artificial forth, a solld By these several steps,

gold'one-piece artificial tooth backing is producedfroin a single piece'of sheet gold, such as -:de11tists ordinarily carry in stock, and 'it will be obvious that a onepiece backing plate is far superior to such a plate formed construction .thcre 'is practically no possibility of the web 1.7,being torn away from "the plate. The provision of the shearing,

edges and punch for removing the, end porthis operationtobe performed with accuracy, and the portions of goldjemoved by the shearing as previously set 7 ends ofthe jaws, the p p .of separate elements con-' *nected by a oint, since wlth a one-p ece edges may drop Into ;a receptacle, provided for receiving the same,"while the gold particles removed by the .pnnch- 22w'ill collect in :thechannel. 23, "from which they can be readily .removed,xlthereby avoiding the loss of any offthe gold. "The subsequent step of swaging and rounding the necessity of filing 'andfitting thedevices by hand, such severed ends being objectionable for the reason that it consumes much time and results in the loss of gold. The backing plate produced by this process, and having the final form shown by Fig. 11, will fit the tooth facmgs with accuracy and ease, and there is no need for filing and grinding difierent parts of the device to bring about a fit. This tedious and expensive hand work is all avoided, and the tooth backings can be quickly and inexpensively produced without any waste of the gold, and without the expense which is always incident to special hand fitting.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for forming artificial tooth backmgs, including opposed and complemental jaw members movable toward and away from each other and having their upper faces in the same plane for engagement with the wings of a tooth backing to support the web and rib thereof between the jaw members, and means upon the opposed faces of the jaw members for cutting off one end of the rib and web and simultaneously removing an additional length of the web.

2. An apparatus for forming artificial tooth backings, including opposed and complemental jaw members movable toward and away from each other and having their upper faces arranged in the same plane for supporting the wings of a tooth backing with the web and rib thereof between the jaw members, cooperating shearing edges upon the opposed faces of the jaws, and a punch applied to the opposed faces of the jaws, the shearing edges and punch being arranged in a predetermined relation to the upper faces of the jaw members and to each other to cut off one end of the rib and web of the tooth backing and remove a greater length of the web than of the rib.

3. An apparatus for forming artificial tooth backings including opposed and complemental jaw members movable toward and away from each other and having their upper faces in the same plane for supporting the wings of an artificial tooth backing with the web and rib thereof between the jaw members, and intersecting horizontal and vertical shearing edges carried by the opposed faces of the jaw members, the horizontal edges being flush with the upper Gopies of this patent may be obtained for faces of the jaw members so that the shearing edges will remove a predetermined portion or the web and rib of the tooth backing.

4:. An apparatus for forming artificial tooth backings, including opposed and complemental jaw members movable toward and away from each other and having their up; per faces in the same plane for supporting the wings of an artificial tooth backing with the web and rib thereof between the jaw members, intersecting horizontal and vertical shearing edges carried by the opposed faces of the jaw members with the horizontal shearing edges flush with the upper faces thereof, and a laterally disposed punch also flush with the upper races or the jaw members and arranged adjacent the vertical shearing edges, the shearing edges being adapted to remove an end portion or the web and rib of the backing, while the punch simultaneously removes an additional portion of the web.

5. An apparatus for forming artificial tooth backnigs including opposed and complemental jaw members movable toward and away from each other and having their upper faces in the same plane for supporting the wings of an artificial tooth backing with the web and rib thereof between the jaw members, intersecting horizontal and vertical shearing edges carried by the opposed faces of the jaw members and the horizontal shearing edges being fiush with the upper faces of the jaw members and extending a predetermined distance from one end thereof, while the vertical shearing edge extend downwardly from the inner ends of the horizontal shearing edges, and a transverse punch mounted upon the jaw members and arranged flush with the top thereof and at the inner end of the horizontal shearing edges, the shearing edges servmg to remove an end portion of the web and rib of the tooth backing, while the punch simultaneously removes an additional portion of the web.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDNVIN N. RICH. WILLIAM E. GEOFF.

Witnesses A. M. BLOUNT, W. I. Mmowrrz.

five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

